LYNDEN SKATEWAY. WE NEED TO GO SKATING MORE OFTEN. WE ALL LOVE IT.

Christine and I love roller skating and Dillon had never been, so we took him along. The tunes: The old and the new. Queen, Styx, Nickelback, Blondie, Hinder and the list goes on. It's great because they play the music that I skated to when I was 13. The younger kids like the old and the new. It's fun to watch the older skaters (in their 50's and 60's) skating to Hinder and the newer music. They don't care what's playing they just love to skate.

Some of you remember Toni Spenst from Soap Lake High School. She is in my music and memories post and a post in November has a letter she wrote me.

The last time I saw Toni was? Gosh, how long has it been Toni, 18 years? The first picture is the two of us at my house. Next is Toni, her husband Tom, and their two boys Jerry 7 and Dwight 6. The last two pictures are of her older sons. The last time I saw Toni her oldest son (Michael) was not even two years old. Now Michael is 19 and Shawn is 17. Michael is in the black jacket Shawn is in the chair

CHRISTINE AND I IN THE SAME DANCE COSTUME. WE ARE THE SAME AGE IN THESE PICTURES. TEN YEARS OLD.

If Christine had been switched at birth, I would have never picked her out of a crowd thinking she was my daughter. Maybe it's the difference in hair color? I just expected her to have dark hair since it's the more dominant gene. It's amazing how God creates us in the womb. I think Christine is beautiful. She just doesn't look like her mom. Everyone have a good day!

This book is ALL you will ever need when it comes to disciplining your children. Every parent or soon to be parent should read it at least once.

Our bible study group is going through this book for the second time. We went through it a few years ago, but it's definitely good to go through it again. Our group has fourteen in it. Seven guys and seven gals. Two people are single. Jeff, who is a high school math teacher, and myself . The rest are married. We all have kids, eighteen being the oldest, and three being the youngest. It's never too late to start disciplining your children using this awesome technique. When I first started using it with Christine it was amazing! The biggest eye opener for me was the part about disciplining your children because God has given us that authority over them. If I don't discipline my children, I am disobeying God. My dad and mom would always tell me to do or not do something because they were the parent, and they said so. It went something like this, "You can't go to the movies because I'm your father, and I said so." I always wanted to know why I should do it just because he said so. Maybe he didn't want me to go to the movies because he didn't trust the kids that were going with me or because I had spent all my money for that week. If they had only known that they needed to give me a reason and that that reason needed to be based on biblical principals. There are hundreds of books out there on parenting and discipline and trust me this is the one, and only one to read. I put chapter one on this post and it's just a tiny part of the book, but so incredible. It really will change the way you parent. Like I said, Christine understands why she needs to be obedient. She knows that I need to be obedient to God, because God says that I must discipline her.

This post is about the people in my "Music and Memories" post

My mom has given me boxes of my stuff from baby through school years. It was fun looking through them. I found a letter, poem, picture and card that goes along with each person. First is Toni, tanning on the hill and Pat Benetar's album. She wrote me this letter when we were 16. I thought it was so sweet.

My first love and Bon Jovi's Runaway. In 9th grade I wrote a mini theme about him. You had to have a minimum of 500 words and I had 700+. I didn't find it, but if I had, I could have put it on this post. I'm kidding, way too embarassing I'm sure. Instead I put a picture of the sweet care bear he gave me when I was 15.

The boy I had a huge crush on when I was 13. Roller skating to Queen, Soft Cell and other 80's songs. I found this Valentines card that he gave me. How sweet is that!

My friend Kim and The Rolling Stones. Kim's grandmother loved taking pictures. It was our own private photo shoot. We were both 15. I had this picture blown up and I put it in a frame from the 1920's. It has the old bubble (convex) glass, which I think is so cool. I gave it to her for her birthday this year.

Melanie and the Police. I have some goofy pictures of the two of us. We were 16 in this picture. My mom must have been walking by and decided to take a picture. She was always doing that. We thought it was so annoying. Now I thank her for annoying us. I have some great pictures of friends from school. I LOVED my pink Converse. Becky and Donny and Marie. I kept this poem that she wrote for me when we were 15. She's the best!

MUSIC AND MEMORIES. SONGS THAT REMIND ME OF PEOPLE THAT ARE OR HAVE BEEN A PART OF MY LIFE.

Jon Bon Jovi ( Jon Bongiovi) Yeah I know, I have a few pictures of Bon Jovi on this post. I've been a huge fan from the beginning. He gets the award for "best smile ever!" There are thousands of women that get weak when he flashes that smile, me included. My neighbor has been married for 26 years and if she sees him on t.v. she tells me about how cute he is. I think she has a crush on him. I'm kidding. If he wasn't the person that he is inside, his smile would mean nothing. Married to his high school sweetheart, has lots of kids, gives his time and money to those in need, (helpusa.org is one that he works with) and that's what it's all about. The smile is just the icing on the cake. I'll go back to talking about music now. We all have memories that are associated with different songs. My girls like the 80's music and so do I. Naked eyes (a band from the 80's) has a song called, "there's always something there to remind me." When I'm driving throughout the day I hear at least one of these songs on the radio. I listen to a station that plays the 80's, 90's, and todays music. I do like some OLD songs that I didn't like when Iwas younger. Does that mean I'm getting old? Yeah, I think so. Two of my very favorite songs are Queen's "your my best friend and "crazy little thing called love." Two feel good songs. I never thought I would be a Led Zeppelin fan but I love, "All of my love," and "you don't have to go." You know, I still have all of my old records. No laughing. Just a few of the ones I have. Michael Jackson, Leif Garret, Joan Jett, The Village People? Sesame Street, and the list goes on. I listened to some pretty hip music didn't I? So, these are the songs that remind me. Pat Benetar's song "Shadows of the night." This one along with the others on this album remind me of my friend Toni from high school. We were fifteen/sixteen years old. We listened to this song over and over again. We always took her boom box to the beach and this tape was well used. It reminds me of being on the hill above the beach in Soap Lake tanning. I think about all the things we used to talk about. We spent hours and hours talking and tanning. I still love this song. Bon Jovi's "Livin on a Prayer." This reminds me of my two friends Chris and Kim from high school. They were twins. Chris was a crazy driver and every time we were in her car I wanted to hear this song. Hmmmm, maybe I should have been praying when I was in her car. We would sing it at the top of our lungs. Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" also reminds me of them. Good times. Bon Jovi's "Runaway." The first album they released and my first love. No my first love was not Jon Bon Jovi. I was fifteen when my boyfriend and I listened to Runaway in his room. I still have the tape. It's only twenty three years old and definitely a keeper. I have to say that these songs are not the easiest to listen to, but I still love them, and so do my girls. Cyndi Lauper's "Time after Time." I was at his house and it was the first time I had ever seen MTV. This video came on and I went into the kitchen to get a drink of water. He came up behind me and kissed me on the neck. Yes, that song and that moment will always go together. I remember it like it was yesterday. The Police and "Every Breath You Take." I remember listening to it often when I was his girlfriend, so it reminds me of him. Night Ranger's "Sister Christian." I'm guessing that some of you had a special song that you shared with your boy/girlfriend. I've never had a special song with anyone else, so I will definitely never forget it. Judas Priest and "Love Bites." He was so excited for me to hear their new album. He was so into it and was singing out loud. I think he was hoping I would get a little more excited about their music. I was thinking to myself, "well, it's ok." It was a little too heavy for me. We were looking at some old pictures of him (when he was ten or eleven) and listening to Judas Priest. Just like all the other songs, I can close my eyes and picture everything that was happening. Strange some of the little things we remember when we hear a certain song. The Police also reminds me of my friend Melanie from high school. We were listening to their album one night when we were sleeping outside at her house. My boyfriend at the time, the Judas Priest boyfriend (the paragraph above) walked up to her house. I left with him and I remember Melanie having an absolute fit that I was leaving. She said she was going to get in trouble from her mom if she knew I had left. Sorry about that Melanie. You didn't get in trouble did you? The Human League's "Don't you want me baby." Queen's "Another one bites the dust." Soft Cell "Tainted Love." Rick Springfield "Don't talk to strangers." These are just a few of the many songs that remind me of roller skating every weekend with friends, and of a boy in my class that I had a huge crush on. I was around thirteen years old. Every weekend at the skating rink I would tell myself that I was going to ask him to skate when it was couples skate. One night I did it, I asked him and he skated with me. Once he knew I liked him, he started asking me to skate couples. Every weekend after that I would tell myself that I was going to kiss him when we were skating, and every time we skated together I would whimp out. The anxiety I had over that first kiss was brutal, especially since I had no idea how to kiss a boy. I was just going to give him a quick smack. Sounds so ridiculous doesn't it? All that anxiety and I never did kiss him. Donny and Marie? This song reminds me of my friend Becky and the good times we had when we were young. We both learned how to ride a bike together. It was so lame because we had to ride these bikes that belonged to her older sisters, and we couldn't reach the ground. The ground was her back yard, and it's not that easy to learn to ride a bike on grass, but we kept at it even though we wiped out every foot or so. One more story about when we were younger. Becky had a giant hill behind her house and we would go sledding down it. There was a fence at the bottom of the hill to keep their cows in. It really doesn't feel good when you hit a fence when your flying down a big hill. We were tough though, and a little pain wasn't going to stop us. Donny and Marie - Ok, I was around nine or ten years old (that's my excuse) and her sister had their album. We listened to it for what seemed like hours and hours. The same song over and over again. "A my name is Alice." No I don't listen to Donny and Marie, but I loved that song and I still know all the words. The Rolling Stones and "Emotional Rescue." Reminds me of my friend Kim when we were in Elementary school. I was at her house and it was close to Christmas. We wanted to decorate a tree or plant of some kind and we couldn't find anything, so we got a tumble weed and brought it into her room. It was one beautiful tumble weed when we were finished with it. Lights, ornaments, the works. Emotional rescue was on the radio all the time and I really liked it. I still do. Bing Crosby. "Would you like to swing on a star." I had never heard the recording of this song. Ashley found this video for me. I think it rocks! When I was between four and ten years old my mom and I would sleep outside on warm nights. We would look up at the stars and look for animal shapes and the big and little dipper. We sang this song along with a few others when we slept outside, but this was my favorite. Every once in awhile I will hear her humming it while she's doing the dishes. Yes it's true, "there is always something there to remind me," and I will always love this song. Always! Ahhhh come on, you guys have to watch it. There will never be another Bing Crosby. I love his song "White Christmas." Would you like to swing on a star carry moonbeams home in a jar and be better off than you are or would you rather be a mule A mule is an animal with long funny ears he kicks up at anything he hears His back is brawny but his brain is weak he's just plain stupid with a stubborn streak and by the way if you hate to go to school You may grow up to be a mule Oh would you like to swing on a star carry moonbeams home in a jar and be better off than you are or would you rather be a pig A pig is an animal with dirt on his face his shoes are a terrible disgrace He has no manners when he eats his food He's fat and lazy and extremely rude But if you don't care a feather or a fig you may grow up to be a pig Oh would you like to swing on a star carry moonbeams home in a jar and be better off than you are or would you rather be a fish A fish won't do anything but swim in a brook he can't write his name or read a book to fool the people is his only thought and though he's slippery he still gets caught but then if that sort of life is what you wish you may grow up to be a fish And all the monkeys aren't in the zoo everyday you meet quite a few so you see it's all up to you, you can be better than you are you could be swinging on a star Check out this sweet video from their first album in 1984. Everyone have a good day!

Runaway Video - Bon Jovi lyrics

Bon Jovi Music Video Codes

Music Video Codes by VideoCure.com

ASHLEY SAID I COULD PUT SOME OF HER PHOTOGRAPHS ON THE BLOG. SHE TAKES A ZILLION PICTURES.

First picture is of Mt. Baker. Second is a rose from my rose bush that finally bloomed after years. I was so excited about it. There are so many bees around our house every summer. The wasps are all over the ground (not a good idea to go barefoot) and they are very easily irritated. Of all the places I have been stung, getting stung in my ear was the most painful. Back to the pictures. Christine's lazy cat Striker, and last is of course, my Christine.

LOVE NICKELBACK. THIS IS MY FAVE. I HAD NEVER SEEN THIS VIDEO UNTIL I PUT IT ON MY BLOG. A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF HOW TO USE YOUR MONEY AND FAME.

Music Video:IF EVERYONE CARED (by Nickelback)

Music Video Code provided by VideoCodeZone.Com

Singing amen I, I'm alive(i'm alive) Singing amen I, I'm alive [CHORUS] If everyone cared and nobody cried, If everyone loved and nobody lied, If everyone shared and swallowed their pride, Then we'd see the day, when nobody died And I'm singing amen I,amen, I, I'm alive amen I amen I, amen I, I'm alive And in the air the fireflies Our only light in paradise We'll show the world they were wrong And teach them all to sing along Singing amen I, I'm alive (I'm alive) Singing amen I, I'm alive [CHORUS (X2)] And as we lie beneath the stars, We realize how small we are, If they could love like you and me, Imagine what the world could be [CHORUS (X2)] We'd see the day, we'd see the day When nobody died We'd see the day, we'd see the day When nobody died We'd see the day when nobody died

CHRISTINE AND I MADE IT OVER TO MY MOM'S FOR THANKSGIVING. ASHLEY STAYED HOME BECAUSE OF SCHOOL WORK AND HER ANIMALS.

Our first trip to grandma's new place. Everything still looks like a construction zone around their house. Grandma was excited to show Christine the HOLE. Their neighbor dug this hole so they could put their garbage in it? They have 15 acres so I guess instead of going to the dump, at least for awhile, they have their own dump. So the three of us spent hours going on a dig. We didn't find any dino bones but we did find hundreds of small white snail shells. Christine thought that was cool enough. She wanted to stay out there and dig until dark every night that we were there. She also had fun trying on some of my old dance costumes. They got a little snow, but nothing like what we got over Thanksgiving. You guys knew that my mom moved across the highway where we used to keep our horses. This picture of the motel is the view from the edge of their property. They moved farther away from Bellingham. We were hoping they would move closer. Maybe Ephrata? That would shave 10 minutes off the trip :) I'm kidding. I was thinking more like Wenatchee or Monroe. They like Monroe for some reason. Next time we go to visit there will be some garbage in the hole. Digging through garbage? No, that doesn't sound like fun at all. I hope you all have a good day and a great weekend.

ASHLEY RECEIVED THIS FROM A FRIEND AND SAID I SHOULD PUT IT ON MY BLOG.

This might sound stupid, but I have wondered for a long time why it has taken man so long to invent all that they have in the last 100 years? I have asked friends in the past and they don't have any idea. Am I just totally out of it or does anyone else wonder. Everything that has been invented in my lifetime amazes me. We used to have a black and white t.v. with the cool rabbit ears. I'm guessing some of you had one that was similar. Ashley was a baby and I had a t.v. that had rabbit ears. We didn't have a cordless phone until after I moved out. My dad would time me when I talked on the phone long distance to a friend. I had five minutes, sometimes ten, and I didn't get to call very often. Long distance was expensive. MTV totally rocked! I finally talked my parents into getting MTV when I was about 17. It was a big step because we had three channels up until then. Now you can watch anything, anytime, anywhere. After midnight there was no t.v. unless you wanted to watch a snow storm. I remember when we first got cable I thought it was the coolest thing to be able to watch t.v. at 2:00 a.m. We watched the television show "The Waltons" all the time. I thought it was pretty cool how the family would gather around the radio to listen to shows like the sitcoms that are on t.v. today. When I was still at home I was the remote control. I got my excercise changing the channels for my dad. He would say, "Joe turn it to channel 2" and then I would sit down or go off somewhere and get called back to change it again. I told Ashley that sometimes I just sat by the t.v. until he found something he wanted to watch. My dad used to tell me that for sure people would be living on the moon in my lifetime. I used to think about how cool it would be to go visit friends and family on the moon. My mom told me that in 1969 ( it was before my first birthday) she sat me down in front of the television so I could watch Neil Armstrong take his first steps on the moon. She took a picture of me watching it. O.K. I'll stop rambling. I wasn't planning to write all of this. I just go on and on. Sorry. You guys have a good day :) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Witt <bottlecaps1736@comcast.net> Date: Dec 29, 2006 5:06 PM Subject: Fw: 100 Years Ago To: Undisclosed-Recipient

Subject: 100 YEARS AGO .... Share this with All your Friends... And Show this to your children and grandchildren !!!! THE YEAR 1906 This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine! The year is 1906. One hundred years ago. What a difference a century makes! Here are some of the U.S. statistics for the Year 1906 : ************************************ The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years old. Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub. Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone. A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars. There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S. , and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph. Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California . With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union . The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower ! The average wage in the U.S. was 22 Cents per hour.

The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $400 per year . A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist made $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 per year,

and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year. More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at HOME . Ninety percent of all U.S. doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as "substandard." Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. Coffee was fifteen cents a pound. Most women only washed their hair once a month , and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo. Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason. Five leading causes of death in the U.S. were: 1. Pneumonia and influenza 2. Tuberculosis 3. Diarrhea 4. Heart disease 5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona , Oklahoma , New Mexico , Hawaii , and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet. The population of Las Vegas , Nevada , was only 30!!!! Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet. There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day. Two out of every 10 U.S. adults couldn't read or write. Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school. Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores . Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health." ( Shocking? DUH! ) There were about 230 reported Murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A. ! Now I forwarded this from someone else without typing it myself, and sent it to you and others all over the United States , possibly the world, in a matter of just Seconds !!!!!!!!!

Just Try to imagine..... what it may be like in another 100 years !!!!!!! IT STAGGERS THE MIND !!!!!!!!!

-- -Ashley Felton +M an' M Rabbitry+ http://www.1webspace.biz/manmrabbitry Jersey Woolies & Standard Chinchillas +Valley Girl Hatchery+ California Valley, Mexican Speckled Bobwhite, Bobwhite (Jumbo & Northern), Quail, Chukar and Albino Chukar Partridge

JUST ABOUT THE GIRLS

Ashley is doing awesome in school. Once in a while she will ask me how I would answer certain questions on her homework. I was pretty good at it until she started college. Sad, I know. Ashley really struggled with math until about 10th grade. The frustration and tears. Arrrrrggghhh. Now she's a whiz. Thank goodness for me, because I wouldn't be of any help to her now. Christine on the other hand does great in math. I'm so blessed to have both of my girls doing so well in school. I've also been blessed with the time I've had to spend with them. My hope is that they will be the best that they can be, and make a difference in this world. P.S. They are a 4.0 in school, and about a 1.3 in helping around the house. Any ideas on how to get that grade up? I'm working on it, still. Everyone have a good day :)

MY EX-HUSBAND'S SISTER SHONNIE. I STILL CALL HER MY SISTER IN LAW, AND HER TWO KIDS.

The pictures: Shonnie and Christine looking at the cat calendar they got her for Christmas. A group photo of the kids and misc. pictures. Catriona 17 and Blair 14. Blair is the cousin that received the reindeer card. They live in Portland, and we see them about twice a year. I definitely wish we could see them more often. The kids (young adults) are so much fun. This is the first time we have seen them during Christmas. Shonnie, my sister in law, is in the ministry and her husband John is a doctor at a cancer research center in Portland. He travels all over the world making presentations. He is gone for work about 70% of the time. One of the bonuses of flying so much is all of those frequent flyer miles. They have been to many different countries for vacation. John and Shonnie met in college. At the age of 19 they decided to get married. They are both 48 years old and Shonnie looks younger than me! I don't think she will ever age. When Christine was born I told Shonnie that she looked like Catriona and their side of the family. Christine could easily pass as Catriona's sister. They have been wanting us to come see them for the last seven years. We miss them a lot.